Yingying Emerges from Seclusion

The conversation between Jiang Xi and Yao Xian'er before her departure hadn't been hidden from Su Min. Jiang Xi had already pointed her toward a path, the ancient battlefield.

Back when Su Min had obtained a trace of Taiyang Qi with the help of the Heavenly Dao Insight, that opportunity had been a one-time affair. Unless she followed Yao Xian'er's method of severing her cultivation and starting anew, there would be no second chance.

But the feasibility of that method was practically zero.

Re-cultivation had prerequisites, one had to be at least at the Mahayana stage. Otherwise, recklessly severing one's cultivation would lead to the same fate as those fallen ones. Not everyone had the qualifications to use the special method Yao Xian'er had created.

Thus, if Su Min wanted to nurture Taiyin Qi within herself, there was only one way, to obtain a relatively intact corpse, or many corpses.

But none were available here. The only place they could be found was the ancient battlefield.

While Solar Sovereign and Lunar Sovereign physiques were rare, over countless years of cycles, their numbers had still accumulated to a considerable extent. Moreover, that battlefield was special.

It was an ancient battleground, said to be the site of the Heaven-Sealing War before the world was locked away. The Four Symbols had all participated and perished there. Even Yao Xian'er was one of the survivors of that war.

Back then, she had been the only Ascension-stage cultivator, so she naturally took the lead. From what Su Min knew, wars of that scale had occurred hundreds of times on that battlefield.

The number of Mahayana experts who had fallen was incalculable, and among them were many with rare physiques. Even the Four Symbols had perished countless times.

They were special existences born from the collective will of all living beings. If one died, another would be born centuries later. Thus, only one could exist in the world at any given time, but given the vastness of time and the limits of lifespan, everything was subject to cycles.

Even these natural deities were no exception. Their lifespans, while far longer than humans', were not infinite.

"First, I should absorb this soul energy. The boost it'll give me will be enormous."

Pulling her thoughts back, Su Min took out the purified energy. Absorbing souls was no joke, just look at Jiang Xi, who had been tormented to the brink of destruction. If not for Su Min's arrival, even Yao Xian'er wouldn't have been able to save her.

Because that evil soul had a special connection with her, which Su Min happened to sever. Now the two of them owed her an enormous favor that would prove useful later.

But this energy had no such issues - she had completely erased all consciousness within, leaving only pure energy. After absorbing this, her soul would definitely advance further. She might even be able to refine Dao Comprehension Pills at her current Divine Transformation mid-stage, while also gaining insights into the Time Law.

"While Yingying hasn't emerged yet, I'll enter seclusion again. Then I'll need to prepare for my Dao Comprehension Pill. Within a hundred years, I must reach the Dao Comprehension stage. Only then will I be qualified to enter that battlefield - otherwise it would be suicide."

Su Min's eyes flashed. There were too many powerful beings there, making it far more dangerous. Just look at Jiang Xi here - if they really fought, Su Min felt 90% certain she'd die here. Consider that drop of Lunar Sovereign Essence Blood Jiang Xi had produced earlier.

That alone contained enough energy to kill her. However, that was a battlefield - the remnants there definitely wouldn't be as well-preserved as in this tomb. Even so, a mere Divine Transformation stage cultivator like her shouldn't go seeking death there. Even Dao Comprehension stage wouldn't be completely safe.

With her plan set, Su Min mobilized the power within her body and entered seclusion again. The environment here was perfectly safe now - the ideal time to focus on cultivation. Thus time slowly passed.

For cultivators at the Divine Transformation stage, a single seclusion might span an ordinary mortal's lifetime. To mortals, Divine Transformation stage cultivators were practically no different from true gods.

One day, two days, three days... In the blink of an eye, five or six more years passed as Su Min sat absorbing the vast soul energy. This would take her a long time - advancing one's soul even slightly was extremely difficult. Look at those alchemists, struggling so hard just to refine pills.

They were all like those who could only enter Karazhan after graduating from it. She was truly an exception.

While Su Min remained deep in seclusion, within the radiant spring of spiritual energy, Xie Yingying's eyes suddenly snapped open.

An overwhelming force surged through every fiber of her being, cold, ethereal, and boundless.

The Lunar Law had awakened.

A law so absolute that once invoked, all beneath heaven would wither. For those born with the Lunar Sovereign Physique, this Law didn't just shape their power, it was their blood, their bones, their soul. Yet its overwhelming dominance came at a cost: it made sensing other Laws nearly impossible. But that limitation didn't matter anymore.

For this Law… stood among the highest principles in the heavens.

"...Senior Jiang is gone."

The moment she spoke, her heart clenched. That ever-present, subtle trace of Jiang Xi, who had silently guided her, watched her, sheltered her, had completely vanished.

The one who led her to the Dao Comprehension stage. The one who entrusted her with so much. Now, that presence was nowhere to be found. A flicker of grief crossed her heart, quickly replaced by dread.

That thing, the evil soul, had been lurking in the shadows all along, waiting for her breakthrough. Had it succeeded in taking Jiang Xi with it?

Even with her current strength, the thought of what it could've done made her shiver.

"…No. It couldn't have possessed me now. That window's closed."

She shook her head, forcing herself to breathe. Now that she had fully stepped into Dao Comprehension, the chance for possession was over. The malevolent remnant would find her body too strong to invade.

Still, something didn't sit right.

"Could this have been part of her plan? A final contingency…?"

She didn't know. But she couldn't stay idle. She'd never been one to sit back while others bore the burden, if she had been, she never would've walked this path alongside Su Min.

With her current strength, paired with Jiang Xi's Lunar Flame and the Divine Ice deep within her, she could end this. The evil soul could still be destroyed. But as she stepped out of the spring, everything stopped.

Silence.

Not peaceful, but too silent. As if the air itself was holding its breath. Not a whisper of chaos, not even the distant tremor of hostile energy.

Unnerving.

Xie Yingying's brows furrowed slightly. Her divine sense spread outward, then froze.

A familiar aura brushed against her senses. In this space, quiet, steady, glowing with power still in the midst of transformation.

"…Su Min?"

"She was here?"

"Already at Divine Transformation mid-stage?"

Xie Yingying's pupils shrank as she focused. Traces of three distinct heavenly treasures resonated inside Su Min's body.

"She came from the Black Tortoise Secret Realm...?"

A wave of astonishment hit her. She had stepped into Dao Comprehension only through a miraculous, once-in-a-lifetime inheritance, a legacy tailored to her bloodline. Even with no bottlenecks, she wouldn't have reached this level alone in such short time.

But Su Min,

She had no such tailored inheritance. No shortcut. The Five Elements Holy Body was powerful, but stubborn. Its path demanded constant refinement, constant battles.

And yet… she was already this far. Even more shocking, Su Min's guard was down, clearly trusting that no one here would harm her.

"...You came to help me, didn't you?"

A gentle warmth bloomed in Xie Yingying's chest. In the cultivation world, where betrayal and selfishness ran rampant, someone who walked beside you without hesitation… was a rare gift.

Xie Yingying knelt beside her, quietly brushing a strand of Su Min's hair from her brow. Then, wordlessly, she sat down, her eyes calm, her presence solid, becoming Su Min's silent shield.

The enemies who once pursued her had all vanished. Their auras scattered. She already knew whose hand was behind that.

"She's reckless," Xie Yingying murmured to herself. "But that's just like her."

With that, she closed her eyes, not to rest, but to guard. If Su Min was willing to bear the storm for her, then she would become the wall that blocked out the sky.

While Su Min remained in seclusion, unrest was brewing outside.

"Completely gone. Who killed those three old things?"

In a modest room, five decrepit elders conversed quietly. The leader's aura alone commanded awe - he was a Dao Comprehension stage expert, though at his peak he'd stood at the pinnacle of Unity stage.

Recently, he had annihilated three sects, each with Divine Transformation stage experts guarding them. Unfortunately, facing a former Unity stage powerhouse like him, even unleashing all their hidden cards proved futile.

In the end, entire sects and countless lives became his blood sustenance. Now restored to Dao Comprehension stage, he led these fallen ones. Humans naturally banded together, especially now that super sects were actively hunting the fallen.

War had begun, forcing them to unite. But this alliance was unstable - compared to regular cultivators, they saw each other as the best nourishment.

"No idea, but I heard they were hunting a Lunar Sovereign Physique."

"That one from the immortal sect? Could she have counterattacked? I thought she was only at Nascent Soul stage. How could those three fail?"

"That's right - in the snowy flields."

"Hmm..."

After this brief exchange, the room fell silent again. Such outstanding talents were dangerous to them.

They had no doubt these geniuses would happily hunt them down. Of the top five on the Heavenly Rankings back then, apart from the lucky one, they wanted to eliminate the other four completely. Moreover, these fallen ones had suffered their heaviest losses from exactly these people.

Yao Xian'er guarded Great Luo Tian Province, one of the richest regions, making countless fallen ones dare not approach, not even neighboring provinces.

As for the Great Desolate Holy Body- with his destiny to protect all living beings, he actively hunted the fallen. Three had already died by his hand, causing quite a stir among their ranks. Another group was already planning to ambush him.

The remaining two kept lower profiles, but Su Min also had kills to her name. None of this was good news for them. Yao Xian'er was one thing, but the Great Desolate Holy Body and Su Min were both at Divine Transformation stage. For Divine Transformation cultivators to directly kill fallen ones - this boded ill.

Though they were half-step Dao Comprehension now, they were all former Dao Comprehension experts!

If these people reached Dao Comprehension stage, they'd have to avoid them like Yao Xian'er. That would be disastrous - more such individuals would drastically shrink their hunting grounds.

Moreover, these people's flesh and blood were great nourishment, making them coveted prizes.

Regardless, whether to act now depended on their leader. If those three were dead, the outcome would likely be the same for them.

"Prepare to move. We cannot allow the Lunar Sovereign Physique to grow unchecked. If there are helpers, kill them too."

Gulp

The others grew excited. Though they didn't know what those three had encountered, intelligence before their deaths suggested anomalies in the Lunar Tomb.

Perhaps those anomalies killed them. But regardless, a Lunar Sovereign Physique's flesh was immensely nourishing - more valuable than destroying an entire sect. Moreover, destroying sects wasn't simple now that the sect assembly had concluded.

The three super sects might not need to, but other sects were truly forming alliances, even establishing spatial connections between them. Attacking one truly meant facing a group assault now.

Of the three super sects, apart from the original two, there was now Su Min's. Though slightly weaker in foundation compared to those two, having a super divine beast guarding it made it no less formidable.

"Humph, you all won't go for this. I need to contact outside help - we'll strike before she emerges."

The leader's calm statement made the others briefly resentful, but they quickly acquiesced. They truly didn't know what had happened, making the risk too great. If it was help, it must be Dao Comprehension stage. Two Dao Comprehension experts could at least escape if outmatched.

With that settled, the fallen ones departed to continue devouring lives, striving to restore themselves to Dao Comprehension stage.

Soon after they left, the room quieted again - until a dazzling Buddhist light began to flicker.

===

[Notes]

In cultivation, there are four foundational pillars often emphasized: master, technique, wealth, and partner. Among them, the Taoist partner is always listed last, not because they are least important, but because they hold a unique role. A master offers guidance, techniques grant power, and wealth ensures resources. But only a partner walks the long and uncertain road toward immortality with you.

Yet of all the pillars, the Taoist partner is the hardest to attain. The others rely on effort, talent, or fortune, things that can be sought or earned. A partner, however, touches something deeper. They involve the heart, a place no technique can fully command. Emotions shift, intentions change, and even the closest bond can falter under time and pressure. That is why, although essential, a Taoist partner remains the most elusive and fragile of bonds.

That is why, throughout this novel, characters like Su Min and Xie Yingying often say things such as, "In the cultivation world, where betrayal and selfishness run rampant, someone who walks beside you without hesitation… is a rare gift."

Because it is.

The road to immortality is long. Harsh. Unforgiving. Even the strongest cultivator can falter, not from wounds or failure, but from the slow erosion of the heart. Years blur, goals change, loyalties fade. What once felt eternal becomes fragile. To remain the same, to stay without letting the years wear down one's sincerity or loyalty, to endure without growing distant or indifferent, is a rarity more precious than spirit stones or divine techniques

So a Taoist partner is not merely someone who cultivates beside you. They are the rarest kind of companion, one whose heart remains steady when everything else shifts. That is what makes them so difficult to find, and even harder to hold onto.

That is the weight behind the fourth pillar. Not just a partner, but a companion whose heart remains aligned with yours, no matter how far the road stretches.